Volusia Speedway Park
Moyer tops Lanigan for UMP victory at Volusia
Billy Moyer celebrates his $7,000 victory. (stlracing.com)
BARBERSVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 21) — Scoring his first victory during this year's Georgia-Florida Speedweeks, Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., resumed his winning ways at Volusia Speedway Park on Tuesday night, rolling to victory in the second 30-lap DIRTcar UMP Late Model feature of the 41st UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment. | Complete Speedweeks coverage
The 54-year-old Dirt Late Model legend controlled the short sprint, leading the entire distance after starting from the outside pole position. He outgunned polesitter Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., for the top spot and never looked back.
Moyer earned $7,000 for his eighth victory since 1998 at Volusia – more than any other driver has registered at the half-mile oval over that span.
“We’ve been here a few times,” said Moyer, “so it makes us feel good to be able to get one more.”
Moyer turned back threats from Francis and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., to put his Victory Circle car in the post-race spotlight. He has four more opportunities – DIRTcar UMP events on Feb. 22 and 24 and World of Outlaws Late Model Series programs on Feb. 23 and 25 – to win multiple features during the DIRTcar Nationals for the fourth time in the last eight years.
Lanigan, 41, chased Moyer throughout the race’s second half but couldn’t muster the necessary speed to make a serious bid, leaving his Rocket mount second at the finish. The WoO regular was 0.369 of a second behind Moyer when the checkered flag flew.
The 44-year-old Francis, who won the DIRTcar Nationals UMP Late Model opener the previous night, settled for third place in the Barry Wright house car. He ran second behind Moyer until being overtaken by Lanigan on a lap-18 restart.
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who started third but slipped to fifth at the initial green flag, slid by Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., for fourth on the lap-18 restart and stayed there to the finish in his Team Zero by Bloomquist car. Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., started and finished fifth, also in a Bloomquist chassis.
The feature’s aborted start proved to be key to Moyer’s triumph. After a tangle in turn-two involving Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., wiped out the original green flag, Moyer turned the tables on Francis with a strong high-side charge into the catbird’s seat.
“He got me on the first start and I got him on the second start,” Moyer said of Francis. “The first start my car didn’t take off very well. I was able to get him back on the outside because the track’s so fast out there.”
Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., finished sixth, advancing 11 positions from the 17th starting position. Babb faded to seventh after starting fourth; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., made a steady march forward from 16th to place eighth; Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., was ninth; and Frankie Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill., hustled from the 21st starting spot to complete the top 10.
Three caution flags slowed the event. The only crash occurred on the opening circuit, when mid-pack jostling sent Bloomquist spinning on the inside of turn two and Decker and O’Neal crashing into the outside wall. Later, Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., stopped in turn two on lap 18 and Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., stopped on the backstretch with a steaming engine on lap 27.
UNOH DIRTcar Nationals: (1) Billy Moyer, (2) Darrell Lanigan, (3) Steve Francis, (4) Rick Eckert, (5) Dennis Erb Jr., (6) Jimmy Mars, (7) Shannon Babb, (8) Tim McCreadie, (9) Jonathan Davenport, (10) Frank Heckenast Jr., (11) Eric Wells, (12) Tyler Reddick, (13) John Blankenship, (14) Morgan Bagley, (15) Chub Frank, (16) Jared Landers, (17) Jimmy Owens, (18) Mason Zeigler, (19) Brian Shirley, (20) Billy Moyer Jr., (21) Jason Feger, (22) Brandon Sheppard, (23) Scott Bloomquist, (24) Don O'Neal, (25) Billy Decker. Fast qualifier (among 75 cars): Erb, 15.644 seconds. Heat race winners: Eckert, Moyer, Babb, Erb, Lanigan, Francis. Consolation race winners: Heckenast, Frank, Shirley. Provisional starter: Sheppard.
Preliminary results (unofficial):
Redraw and provisional
In a redraw among heat race winners, Steve Francis has drawn the pole for tonight's 30-lap main event. Francis, who won Monday's opening round feature, will be joined on the front row by Billy Moyer. Shannon Babb and Rick Eckert will share the second row, while Dennis Erb Jr. and Darrell Lanigan will start fifth and sixth. ... Brandon Sheppard is in line to be get the UMP provisional, but it's uncertain if he'll be able to make the race after suffering front-end suspension damage in a consolation race. ... The Late Model feature is coming up after the open-wheel modified feature.
Third consolation
Chub Frank won the final consolation race while Jason Feger turned back a hard-charging Gregg Satterlee to finish second. Feger will join Frank in the main event.
Finish (top 10): Chub Frank, Jason Feger, Gregg Satterlee, Ryan Unzicker, Jack Sullivan, J.R. Hotovy, Chad Hollenbeck, John Garvin, Eric Jacobsen, Todd Frank.
Second consolation
After jumping the cushion in the first turn, outside pole starter Frank Heckenast Jr. was given a second chance with a restart and took advantage to lead every lap. Tyler Reddick moved to the second and final transfer position with two laps remaining when Vic Coffey slid high and tagged the wall in turn one. Coffey had the second spot locked up before his miscue, but faded to a mid-pack finish.
Finish (top 10): Frank Heckenast Jr., Tyler Reddick, Donnie Moran, Bobby Pierce, Jim Yoder, Steve Isenber, Tyler Bruening, Vic Coffey, Greg Johnson, Tim Lance, Freddie Capenter, John Lobb.
First consolation
Brian Shirley grabbed the lead on the start and held off Billy Decker in leading every lap. Decker settled for second and will join Shirley in the main event. Josh Richards charged from back in the field, but missed a feature transfer by one spot in finishing third. Earl Pearson Jr. started from the outside of the front row, but after jumping the cushion in the first corner, Pearson spun on the back straightaway, collecting Justin Rattliff. Both cars suffered heavy damage and left the race.
Finish (top 10): Brian Shirley, Billy Decker, Josh Richards, Billy Ogle Jr., Kent Robinson, Scott James, John Lowrey, Danny Mitchell, Don Gordon, Brandon Sheppard, Justin Rattliff, Earl Pearson Jr.
Sixth heat
Taking advantage of outside pole starter Pat Doar's early exit, fourth-starting Steve Francis moved up to the front row for the start and cruised to a convincing victory. Polesitter Jared Landers was second while Jimmy Owens made an impressive rally from the tail of the field to finish in the final transfer position. First-lap contact between Landers and Doar in the middle of turns one and two sent Doar into the outside wall, knocking him out of the race. Owens went to the tail after he spun to avoid Doar. The race was again slowed on the second start when Charlie Sandercock got into the back-stretch wall and went airborne before spinning down the track in front of Aric Almirola and Owens. Both Almirola and Owens squeaked by, avoiding a major wreck.
Finish: Steve Francis, Jared Landers, Jimmy Owens, Terry Casey, Mike Marlar, Lance Mathees, J.R Hotovy, John Garvin, Aric Almirola, Charlie Sandercock, Pat Doar.
Fifth heat
Overall fast qualifier Dennis Erb Jr. wasted little time getting to the front, moving from fourth to first on the opening lap. Polesitter Eric Wells was a distant second in the caution-free race while Jimmy Mars overtook Ryan Unzicker coming to the white flag on his way to claiming the final transfer spot.
Finish: Dennis Erb Jr., Eric Wells, Jimmy Mars, Ryan Unzicker, Chub Frank, Jason Feger, Gregg Satterlee, Jack Sullivan, Chad Hollenbeck, Todd Frank, Phil Austra, Eric Jacobsen.
Fourth heat
Shannon Babb dominated the fourth heat from the second starting position, pulling to nearly a straightaway in winning over polesitter Morgan Bagley. Tim McCreadie closed in on Bagley late in the caution-free race, but had to settle for the third and final transfer spot at the finish.
Finish: Shannon Babb, Morgan Bagley, Tim McCreadie, Frank Heckenast Jr., Vic Coffey, Dillon Wood, Brady Smith, Greg Johnson, John Lobb, Tyler Bruening, Dan Stone, Mike Hammerlee.
Big-block hot laps
The big-block modifieds are taking a hot lap session before the final three Late Model heat races.
Third heat
Charging forward from the fourth starting spot, group fast timer Darrell Lanigan passed polesitter Billy Moyer Jr. around halfway and cruised to the finish. Moyer settled for the runner-up finish in the caution-free race, while John Blankenship overtook Bobby Pierce on the final lap to claim the third and final transfer position.
Finish: Darrell Lanigan, Billy Moyer Jr., John Blankenship, Donnie Moran, Bobby Pierce, Jim Yoder, Tyler Reddick, Steve Isenberg, Freddie Carpenter, Michael Norris, Chris Nash, Tim Lance.
Second heat
Billy Moyer cruised to a convincing victory in the second heat, beating Jonathan Davenport by nearly a straightaway. Davenport finished second after moving by polesitter Brian Shirley midway through the race with a questionable slidejob entering turn three. Contact between the two drivers sent Shirley over the birm and back multiple positions. Don O'Neal finished and will join Moyer and Davenport in the main event. The race was slowed by one early caution for Duane Harbaugh.
Finish: Billy Moyer, Jonathan Davenport, Don O'Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., Brian Shirley, Kent Robinson, Ron Davies, Shelby Miles, Brandon Sheppard, Scott James, Jim Fletcher.
First heat
For the second time in as many nights, Rick Eckert made a final-lap pass to score a heat race victory. Eckert overtook polesitter Mason Zeigler in turns three and four on the final lap, forcing Zeigler to settled for the runner-up finish. Scott Bloomquist, the group's fast qualifier, finished in the third and final transfer spot. Josh Richards was never a factor in finishing fifth in the eight-lap prelim. The race was red flagged after Larry Wight barrel-rolled in turn one on the third attempt to start the race. Wight was not injured, but it took roughly 10 minutes for safety crews to get Wight's car removed and repair the catch fence.
Finish: Rick Eckert, Mason Zeigler, Scott Bloomquist, Billy Decker, Josh Richards, Justin Rattliff, Duke Whiseant, Billy Ogle Jr., John Lowrey, Jeff Beyers.
Time trials
Looking to score his first victory at Volusia Speedway Park, Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., was the fastest of 73 qualifiers at the half-mile oval Tuesday during time trials for the second round of the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment.
Erb posted a lap of 16.644 seconds and to top the fifth of six qualifying groups. He’ll start fourth in his heat race coming up after an inversion of the top four drivers in each qualifying group. Other group fast timers: Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.; Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; and Monday night’s winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.
Heat race polesitters after inversions will be Mason Ziegler of Chalk Hill, Pa. Brian Shirley of El Paso, Ill., Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark.
The top three finishers from each eight-lap heat will transfer to the night’s main event $7,000-to-win main event, while three consolation races will each transfer two more drivers.
Pre-race notes
Tonight’s program will feature combined qualifying and hot laps for Late Models. ... Drivers competing Tuesday who did not enter Monday’s event include Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., and Aric Almirola of Tampa, Fla. ... NASCAR driver Aric Almirola is driving Clint Smith’s backup car in Tuesday’s event. Almirola, who drove Smith’s car in Eldora’s Prelude to the Dream, plans to run a few more events throughout the week. Smith, the World of Outlaws veteran from Senoia, Ga., will not race Tuesday night due to mechanical woes in his primary race car Monday night. He plans to have his car ready for action in time for Thursday WoO event. ... Shane Clanton is another WoO regular not racing Tuesday. He blew an engine in his Capital Race Car after winning a heat race Monday night. He hopes to be back in action Wednesday. ... Clanton’s teammate John Lobb of Frewsburg, N.Y., and his crew had a long day Tuesday, making repairs to his race car that included a broken driveshaft and rear-end issues. He’s ready to go for the night’s race.
Qualifying results (unofficial)
Top four will invert for heat races by group
First group
Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 16.438
Rick Eckert (24), York, Pa., 16.756
Billy Decker (91), Unadilla, N.Y., 16.760
Mason Zegier (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 16.843
Justin Rattliff (16), Campbellsville, Ky., 16.867
Randy Korte (81), Highland, Ill., 16.905
Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., 16.916
Duke Whiseant (A1), Texarkana, Ark., 17.096
John Lowrey (8), Bakersfield, Calif., 17.143
Larry Wight (91), Phoenix, N.Y., 17.267
Billy Ogle Jr. (201), Knoxville, Tenn., 17.328
Danny Mitchell (18), Clarksburg, W.Va., 17.529
Jeff Beyers (27), Pana, Ill., 17.834
Second group
Don O'Neal (1), Martinsville, Ind., 16.343
Jonathan Davenport (15), Blairsville, Ga., 16.385
Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 16.560
Brian Shriley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 16.563
Earl Pearson Jr. (44), Jacksonville, Fla., 16.803
Kent Robinson (7r), Bloomington, Ind., 16.882
Ron Davies (71d), Warren, Pa., 17.038
Jason McBride (77), Carbondale, Ill., 17.05
Shelby Miles (76), Bloomington, Ind., 17.085
Scott James (81), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 17.583
Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., 17.711
Duane Harbaugh (87), Hedgesville, W.Va., 18.644
Jim Fletcher (33), Chatham, Ontario, 20.009
Third group
Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., 16.284
John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., 16.432
Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 16.442
Billy Moyer Jr. (21), Batesville, Ark., 16.455
Donnie Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 16.568
Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill., 16.701
Jim Yoder (27), Selinsgrove, Pa., 16.782
Tyler Reddick (11), Corning, Calif., 16.797
Freddie Carpenter (c4), Parkersburg, W.Va., 16.96
Steve Isenberg (9), Marshfield, Wis., 16.962
Michael Norris (72), Sarver, Pa., 17.569
Donald Beyers (27), Pana, Ill., 18.423
Chris Nash (54), Kalamazoo, Mich., 18.979
Fourth group
Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.816
Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 16.048
Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 16.064
Morgan Bagley (14m), Longview, Texas, 16.208
Brady Smith (2), Solon Springs, Wis., 16.272
Vic Coffey (32c), Casedonia, N.Y., 16.408
Dillon Wood (1w), New Smyrna Beach, Fla., 16.438
Greg Johnson (49), Bedford, Ind., 16.468
Dan Stone (21), Thompson, Pa., 16.476
John Lobb (28), Frewsburg, N.Y., 16.798
Mike Hammerlee (16), St. Charles, Mo., 17.939
Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 18.207
Fifth group
Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 15.644
Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis., 15.83
Ryan Unzicker (24), El Paso, Ill., 15.852
Eric Wells (18), Hazard, Ky., 15.887
Jack Sullivan (1s), Greenbrier, Ark., 16.14
Chub Frank (1*), Bear Lake, Pa., 16.156
Chad Hollenbeck (4DS), Kingsley, Pa., 16.623
Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 16.703
Phil Ausra (15), Dowagiac, Mich., 16.912
Todd Frank (21), Green Bay, Wis., 17.04
Gregg Satterlee (22), Rochester Mills, Pa., 17.105
Eric Jacobsen (5), Seacliff Beach, Calif., no time
Sixth group
Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., 15.646
Jared Landers (5), Batesville, Ark., 16.082
Lance Matthees (90), Winona, Minn., 16.15
John Garvin (J4), Sarver, Pa., 16.151
J.R. Hotovy (13), Covert, Mich., 16.257
Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 16.295
Mike Marlar (5), Winfield, Tenn., 16.418
Terry Casey (42), New London, Wis., 16.801
Pat Doar (11), New London, Wis., 16.906
Charlie Sandercock (57), Belleville, Ontario, 16.963
Don Gordon (33), Chatham, Ontario, no time
Aric Almirola (43), Tampa, Fla., no time
